Chapter 1
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Thank you Michca for sponsoring this chapter! 2/3
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<I’d like to request an interview.
Hello Miss Adelaide. This is Gremlin, a reporter for Daily Kronatan. I would like to ask for an interview regarding the recent assault incidents by a demon belonging to Greenville Dungeon.
I promise you a satisfactory remuneration, so please do an exclusive interview with ‘Daily Kronatan’…….>
“What the hell is he talking about?”
Adelaide did not read the letter and threw it away. Lisianthus also read the other letters and with a serious expression, opened his mouth.
“Almost all of them are interview requests. I see threatening letters full of swearing.”
“Assault incidents, what nonsense…….”
Everyone must have misunderstood something. She frowned and muttered. Pia and the Skeletons, who just walked out of the infirmary, saw the letters piled up like a mountain on the table and widened their eyes, wondering what’s going on.
“Master. Did you check the Dungeon Daily today?”
“Ah!”
Come to think of it, there was that. Adelaide hurriedly took out the Dungeon Daily which she had initially put aside. She was so absorbed in eating that she had forgotten about it.
Lisianthus and the other demons gathered around and checked the first page of the Dungeon Daily. Pia sat quietly, waiting for someone to explain the situation.
“Huh, this……!”
The Skeleton Captain gasped in surprise. With his thin finger bone, he pointed to someone familiar shown in the photograph.
A handsome man with red hair. Caladium. Caladium was also punching someone. His face was hidden so he couldn’t be easily recognized, but there was no way the demons of Greenville wouldn’t.
Below the picture was a long caption in large letters.
<“G Dungeon demon’s ruthless violence……. Does the ‘Dungeon without Discrimination’ actually exist?”
Kronatan’s G Dungeon is known as a just dungeon for the weak. However, there have been recent reports that a demon affiliated to this place is mercilessly assaulting weak demons.
Mr. C, the second-in-command and demon of G Dungeon, has taken a different course, away from the slogan “Dungeon without Discrimination, A Happy Dungeon”. He not only fights with other demons for no reason, but also beats demons who do not have the will to fight.
In response, victim M testified that Mr. C used to enjoy beating his subordinates from 100 years ago. The case he briefly mentioned…….
(Omit)
All eyes are on G Dungeon and what kind of position they will take towards this demon’s behavior.>
Adelaide’s hand holding the Dungeon Daily was trembling with anger. She crumpled the paper and raised her voice.
“Does this make sense? What violence are they talking about! Caladi can’t have done that!”
She was seething in anger.
Of course, her first impression of Caladium was not very good. She once thought of him as a rude and insolent devil.
However, it didn’t take long for her to realize that Caladium was a good devil. She knew that he had a warm heart even if they had only been together for a while. A good heart could never be hidden.
“That’s right, Caladium isn’t like this!”
The Skeletons nodded together.
They have been persecuted for being monsters, and they were often reluctant towards strong demons. This was because, the stronger they were, the harsher the discrimination they received.
But Caladium was different. He made them call his name comfortably, and if there was a difficult task, he was willing to do it for them. He was very strong, but he was a kind devil. There was no way he could have beaten weak demons for no reason.
“How can they give out such misinformation without properly checking, these id**ts! Let’s go and check it right now! No, I have to make a statement!”
Adelaide exclaimed, panting. Lisianthus responded as he comforted her.
“Let’s check the facts first. There’s no way they could have completely made something up from nothing. He must have been caught up with something and was inflated.”
Lisianthus also didn’t seem to believe in the article. Apart from their sour relationship, he knew well that he couldn’t just trust the articles in the Dungeon Daily.
“We can make the announcement after that.”
“Yes…….”
“Don’t worry too much. It will be resolved without any major issues.”
He calmed Adelaide with a soft voice. However, he didn’t look very happy when he said that.
‘I don’t feel good about it…….’
There were many suspicious details about it. The clear photos as if they were taken while waiting, and the flood of interview requests just hours after the Dungeon Daily was published today. Doesn’t it look like someone intended all of this? Someone who was good in battle of wits like this.
There was one devil that came to mind.
‘Abaddon.’
Lisianthus mumbled his name inwardly with a calm face.
If there was no justification to subdue someone by force, this was exactly something he would do to get dirty. He couldn’t have done the work himself, but, as always, he must have borrowed the hands of his subordinates.
‘This is bad.’
If they really got involved, it won’t be resolved as easily as he promised just now. No, this was most likely just the beginning.
However, all of this was only his conjecture, and nothing had been confirmed yet. Maybe that Caladium b**tard had really gone crazy and started doing troublesome things.
Perhaps it was only natural that they were receiving excessive attention. There was that dungeon match with Sol Dungeon, and their ranking rose unrealistically quickly making them the subject of gossip in many ways.
Lisianthus glanced at Adelaide, wishing it was the latter. When he saw her heartbroken face in his sight, he also felt like he was hurting inside.
Adelaide clenched her fists as she gazed at the portal flashing its blue light. She wished for Caladium to return at that moment, but now she knew that that kind of wish could not be fulfilled by her power.
‘Caladi, where in the world are you?’
Wherever he was, she hoped that he would not get hurt. She hoped that this ridiculous misunderstanding wouldn’t hurt him. Adelaide closed her eyes and wished earnestly.
* * *
To the east of Esperanza, Graciel was the area where the wealthiest people lived in Kronatan.
This place was unusually surrounded by two towering walls, and while all the buildings on the inner side were splendid and grand, the outside was considered the most dangerous and darkest place in Esperanza.
It was a place for those who want to kill the demons living in the inner city and rob them of their properties, those who hunt for fun, and even ‘cleaners’ hired by the inner demons. These dangerous demons infested the castle as they freely entered and exited, and as a result, dozens of demons died every day.
What was more frightening was that the land was so vast and the stone walls were connected here and there like a maze, so even if someone were to die, no one would even know who they were. There were so many corpses that it was impossible to identify each one of them.
And now, a pale, stingy mid-level demon was running like crazy through the dark streets. The demon had a good impression, someone who did not fit with this place. He was dressed luxuriously, making him look wealthy.
“Hah, hah…!”
The demon, Mitchell, did not stop running even though he was breathing heavily. He was being chased by someone.
Damn it, why did I have to come this way…?! Mitchell clenched his teeth and regretted it. Apparently, until a little while ago, he had several demon escorts by his side, but as he frantically fled, he was left all alone.
“Stop.”
Just as he was about to slow down, a terrifyingly low voice rang in his ears.
Gasp! Mitchell gasped and ran with all his might. However, it was only a matter of time before he was caught due to the clear gap in their skills.
“I told you to stop.”
“Ack!”
Suddenly, a sharp pain engulfed Mitchell’s body. He screamed and rolled over the rough ground. It happened so quickly that he couldn’t understand the situation. He gasped as he felt his empty shoulder. His arm had been torn off in a single attack.
Mitchell struggled at the excruciating pain. Step. Step. The sound of footsteps drew closer. As he lifted his head, shedding tears, the image of the demon who tore off his arm was captured in his blurred vision.
It was hard to see because his eyes were stained with tears and blood. What he was only certain of was that it was a very large man with red hair. Each step he took overwhelmed him that he couldn’t breathe.
“Spare me, spare me! please……!”
Mitchell begged and grabbed his bloody shoulder. Neither pride nor anything else mattered as long as he survived.
“This, where did you get it?”
The red-haired demon suddenly pointed a finger at him. The tip of his index finger was pointing at the accessory on his chest.
The diamond-studded accessory was the most expensive Mitchell ever owned.
“I’ll give you everything! Take it! Just spare me, spare me……!”
“I don’t want to fight, please.” Mitchell banged his head on the floor and begged. It would be a lie if he said it wouldn’t be a waste but it was less valuable than his life. Even if it was stolen now, he could just hire other demons later to take it back.
“I can’t hear you.”
However, this was not the answer the red-haired demon wanted.
Thud. He threw something next to Mitchell. Mitchell started screaming, thinking it was another attack, but soon realized it wasn’t and slowly opened his eyes.
“Read it.”
What the demon threw was today’s newspaper. It also relates to the indiscriminate assault of demons belonging to certain dungeons.
“…the second-in-command and demon ……. used to enjoy beating his subordinates from 100 years ago…. … .”
Mitchell’s face turned pale in an instant when he checked the content.
“You still don’t know who I am?”
An unfamiliar face appeared beyond the clear vision. There was also a single horn that towered above the red head.
“Mr. Ca, Ca, Caladium……!”
“Yes, now you know. So now you know what I’m going to do.”
“Please, please, spare me! At that time I just……!”
Mitchell couldn’t bring himself to finish. Caladium snapped his fingers with an indifferent face. At the same time, blazing lava rose and covered Mitchell’s body.
A piercing scream echoed through the deserted street. Caladium murmured as he watched his body melting.
“Then why did you run your mouth off like that? If you just kept quiet, I wouldn’t have killed you.”
“For old times’ sake”. He added softly.
The eyes looking at the thick liquid were empty.